People are stepping up

Friends, 

What a week. It has been hard to keep up with the breaking news. We’re all concerned for the wellbeing and safety of our families, friends, and communities. I know it’s a tough time for everyone, so I wanted to write to you today and to share some of what I’ve been seeing.

Last week, as businesses and schools began closing in response to COVID-19, I was thinking a lot about those who are most at risk — seniors, those with chronic illness, health care workers, and people without the time or resources to prepare. 

I was also thinking about how I could help. As a young person who has the option to work from home, I knew it was easier for me to adapt. I wanted to help, but realized I didn’t know many of my neighbours. So, early on Friday morning, I wrote a quick note offering to help and dropped it off in their mailboxes. 

Then, without thinking much about it, I put it online to make it easier for others to do the same thing.

Photo: The note I dropped in neighbours' mailboxes shared on Twitter 

The response has been overwhelming. I've heard from so many neighbours who are willing to help — and who are grateful for the help. And, I've heard from dozens of people across the country who are doing the same thing in their communities. 

Over the past few days, 'caremongering' Facebook groups have popped up everywhere to help people ask for and offer support. Click here to read the incredible accounts of people across the country who are stepping up to help. 

If you're thinking about how to be there for your neighbours, here are some resources that can help:

• Here’s a list of grassroots groups that have come together to ensure vulnerable community members have access to food, housing, healthcare, and other necessities.
• If you want to drop off notes to your neighbours, here are some examples from me, from Tina, and from Ally. There’s another script and helpful prompts in this guide from MAMAS in Boston. 

If you are able and willing to help others, please make sure you're being safe about it. That means listening to local health authorities: drop off supplies outside homes, keep a safe distance from each other, sanitize things before you bring them in, wash your hands, and of course, stay home if you’re sick or need to self isolate.

In a time of crisis, our response must be collective. And taking care of one another is so important right now. We can drop off soup and groceries for each other, but we can't guarantee paid sick days or offer comprehensive rent relief. That’s up to our governments and we can’t let them off the hook. We need to make sure they know that while we have each other’s backs, we need them to have our backs as well.

Thanks to everyone who is stepping up right now. We’re going to get through this together. 

Amara

P.S. — We know that unprecedented crises like this are windows for us to transform our society. And, we know we can’t solve one crisis by making another one worse. That’s why we’re digging deep into how best to support our networks, while moving forward critical work to tackle the climate crisis. Ideas, like this one from our friend Avi Lewis at the Leap, are a great start. We’ll be in touch soon with more information about how we can come together to fight for one another and our shared home.